Blackboard-eraser-cleaner machine.



Patented May I, I900.

Rid]. RILEY. BLACKBUARD ERASER CLEANING MACHINE. (Application filed .mx 1899. (No mm.) 2 Sheets-Sheet a.

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Nd. 648,796. Patented May I, I900. n. .1. RILEY. BLACKBOARD EBASER CLEANING MACHINE.

( Application filed July 8, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT JOHN RILEY, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO \VILLIAM SIVAIM PEOKI-IAM, OF SAME PLACE.

BLACKBOARD-ERASER-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..648,796, dated May 1, 1900. Application filed July 8, 1899. Serial No. 723,144. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT JOHN RILEY, of Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Blackboard-Eraser-Oleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for cleaning blackboard-erasers of their load of chalk-dust in an expeditious, cleanly, and thorough manner. Ordinarily this is done by simply knocking the eraser against the first convenient object. In public schools, where this has to be done frequently, it is a great nuisance, as it not only soils the clothing and hair, but in raising a cloud of chalk-dust it fills the air with particles of chalk unfit to breathe and productive of lung troubles.

My invention is designed to provide a machine, to be kept in the basement or out in the air, to which the erasers may be carried when filled with chalk and in a few minutes cleaned without the annoyance of dust in the schoolroom; and to this end it consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the machine, which I will now proceed to more fully describe with reference to the drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a front elevation with some of the boaters broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. of the machine. Fig. 5 is a face and Fig. 6 an upper edge view of a part of the eraserholder.

In the drawings, X represents a suitable wooden frame within which is arranged a grating composed of a series of parallel ribs D D. These are connected together by a rod d and are held a definite and uniform distance apart by spacing-blocks d. On a rod a, extending through the ribs D, there are pivotally hung'a series of beater-arms A, made of hardwood and'about one inch sqnare'in transverse dimensions. These are normally held up by separate spiral springs a, one for each beater, and the lower ends of the heaters project below the ribs D and bear steel plates on their sides, where they are acted upon by Cams or wiper-arms e on a rotary shaft E.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the top These wiper-arms are set at different angular positions on the shaft, so that they act in succession and not simultaneously. WVhen the shaft E is turned by means of its handle H, these wiper-arms e acting upon the lower ends of their respective beaters cause them to be thrown back in the direction of the arrow, putting the springs ct under tension until the wiper-arm passes out of contact with the heaters, at which moment the springs a cause each beater -arm successively to advance or move in the opposite direction to the arrow and deliver a sharp, sudden, and forceful blow. These blows are received upon the blackboard-erasers, which are placed in a special holder and adjusted in range of contact with the heaters as follows:

E is a bed consisting of a padded board mounted upon arms I) at its ends, which arms are pivotally connected to the end frames by means of set-screws and arranged to be swung over into range of engagement with the beaters or back and away from the same. This bed has on its face a soft yielding pad p, in front of which are arranged spring-holders h, composed of a section of spring-wire bent at the middle into a coil and with the two ends extended parallel with each other across the bed and screwed or otherwiseconnected to the bed, so that at this end a blackboarderaser 1' can be slipped endwise between the two branches of the spring and there clamped and held in a yielding manner while the blows of the beaters are being rained upon the eraser. The shocker impact of the blows of the heaters on the eraser quickly dislodges the chalk-dust, which in the overhanging position of the beater-bed drops away from the eraser.

The frame bearing the device is preferably hinged to a table, stand, or other support and may be turned into upright position, as shown,

or turned down, as in dotted lines in Fig. 1. IVhen turned over in this position, the springs a might be dispensed with and the beaterarms made heavier or weighted, so that their fall from gravity will give the desired blow.

To hold the eraser-bed up to its work against the blows of the heaters, a rod t'is connected to springs s s at the ends and is arranged to be looked over the screws or pins a. By lifting this rod over the screws the bed B may be easily turned back on its arms I), as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. A similar rod t with springs s 5, serves to lock the erasers in their seats on the bed.

On the rod d below each beater there is a small hook 61 These hooks are designed to be caught into eyes on the heaters, to lock such of them out of action as may not be needed, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

With reference to the eraser-holder I would state that the springs h, which form them, are first bent into a coil in the middle, and the two le s are then extended parallel to each other ust the distance apart equal to the width of the erasers, and the ends of the legs are then bent at right angles and rigidly se cured to the padded base-board of the bed. This permits the erasers to be held in a yielding condition on the padded board, that causes them to vibrate when struck, and which greatly promotes the cleaning of the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An eraser-cleaner, comprising an overhanging and laterally-swinging bed for holding the erasers, a series of beater-ar1ns, a rotary shaft with wiper-arms or cams fo rdrawing the beater-arms away from the erasers, and independent springs for each beater-arm for throwing them with an independent forceful blow against the erasers, substantially as described.

2. An eraser-cleaner comprising a series of beater-arms, and a rotary shaft with wiperarms or cams for actuating the beater-arms, springs for returning the beater-arms and a bed for the erasers said bed having a series of spring-holders for maintaining the erasers in yielding relation to the heaters as described.

3. In an eraser-cleaner, the bed for holding the erasers formed of a base having attached thereto springs formed by wires or rods bent in the middle and extended to form parallel clamping-arms having ends bent at right angles and. rigidly connected to the base, substantially as described;

4. An eraser-cleaner comprising a framework, beater-armspivoted in the framework a rotary shaft with wiper-arms or cams acting on the heaters, springs connected to each heater for delivering the blow, means for locking each of the heaters out of action independently, and a holder for the erasers substantially as described.

' 5. An eraser-cleaner consisting of a frame X with spaced ribs D D, the eraser-holder B movably supported in pivoted arms, the beat= er-arms A pivoted between the ribs and provided with springs a, and a rotary shaft E with wiper-arms or cams e substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination with the beater-arms of an eraser-holding bed pivoted upon swinging arms and a locking-rod t, stop it and springs s s for locking it in place substantially as described.

7. The combination with the main frame, a set of vibrating'beaters, and the eraser-bed having U-shaped spring-seats h; of the locking-rod t and springs s s substantially as and for the purpose described.

ROBERT JOHN RILEY.

Witnesses:

S. Rousn, MORTIMER LEVERING. 

